For Wilshire Baptist Church
Two Sundays ago my phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out quickly in case it was something urgent. It wasn’t. It was a message from Apple News: “The Emmys are about to start. Who will win? Who’ll be robbed?”
Robbed — really? I always thought that to be robbed of something, you first must possess it. It used to be that the entertainment media would report on those who were “overlooked” or “snubbed” during these award shows, but now the language has escalated to “robbed.”
I’ve never been robbed literally or even figuratively. I’ve been rejected. I’ve simply not been chosen. Disappointing sometimes, but it happens; not everyone gets to win, right? I’ve been burglarized, which is different. That’s when someone breaks into your property and takes what’s yours. That’s happened to me. But l’ve not been robbed.
Getting robbed — really robbed — is a serious matter. I once had a tenant at a condo I owned who was robbed of her purse and jewelry at gunpoint just outside her locked gate. It terrified her as you can imagine, and it shook me up as her landlord. I felt like I had failed her, although I had no control over what happened to her outside the gates. I have a friend whose mother died after falling and sustaining a head injury. He said he felt “robbed” of having more time with her, and he truly was because he had possessed her love and mothering until it was taken from him. I guess in that regard I too have been robbed of the love and fellowship I’ve had with family and friends whose lives ended too soon.
But we’re really getting deep into the weeds of self-absorption when we start talking about being “robbed” of something we never had. I know I’m being a bit over the top with my exasperation, but I still believe that words have meanings, and the more we misuse them, the more we contribute to a false narrative. And in this case regarding being “robbed,” the more we misuse the word, the more we feed a culture with an insatiable appetite for self-absorption and entitlement.
There’s enough real robbery in life to worry about without making stuff up. Those actors and actresses who were “robbed” of their trophies and the attention that comes with them will no doubt have new opportunities to get the kudos they desire and perhaps deserve. But even if the awards never come, they still can take pride in their work. For a lot of folks, that’s the only reward they’ll ever get. Besides, awards should never really be the point of our labors. They can be a nice bonus, but doing a good job, helping others, making the world a better place should be our focus. And if achieving that gives us a good feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, that’s fine too. That’s a personal thing that nobody can take from you.